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If you are NOT a U.S. citizen, you must report any change of address to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It is required by law that you, the immigrant, report your address change to the USCIS within 10 days of moving. Your attorney can also update your address with the USCIS for you. If you move and do not notify USCIS, either yourself or through your attorney, you may be unable to receive important notifications or documents USCIS mails you.

If you have moved, you need to follow two different steps:

• Step 1: File a Form AR-11 online or by mail. This changes your address in USCIS master database.
• Step 2: If you have a pending case, you must also file a Change of Address online for your specific petition(s) or call National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283. This changes your address for any specific application(s) you have submitted.

If you are a U.S. citizen and you have a pending immigration petition – for example, for your relative or fiancé, or if you are a joint sponsor for somebody else’s relative – you also need to update your address with USCIS online. In most cases, for example when a U.S. citizen petitions for his or her alien relative who is adjusting status in the United States (Form I-130/Form I-485), both the sponsor and the immigrant need to report change of address, even if they live together. In some cases, for example when a U.S. Citizen and his or her alien spouse petition jointly to remove conditions on the alien’s permanent residence (Form I-751), only one change of address is needed. After you become a U.S. Citizen, you are no longer required to update your address with the USCIS, unless you petition for an alien relative or become a joint sponsor for an immigrant.

Unfortunately, the USCIS online change of address system can sometimes make it difficult to successfully update your address online. The most common problems result from technical glitches, for example when the system does not accept correct answers to mandatory questions, or when it mistakenly requires an answer to a non-mandatory question. For that reason, if you have a pending petition, it may be more efficient to update your address by calling USCIS customer service at 1-800-375-5283. Although there is usually a wait time before you can speak to a customer service representative, the representative can then immediately change your address in both the master database and for any pending cases you have, thus performing both steps described above at the same time. The representative will then give you a confirmation number for your change of address request. When you call USCIS customer service to update your address, please remember to have your receipt number(s) and form number(s) for all of your pending cases, your A number, and both your old address and new address.

You can only change your address via phone when you have a pending case with USCIS. If you do not currently have a pending case (for example, you received a conditional green card but have not yet applied for removal of conditions, or you received a 10-year green card but have not yet applied for citizenship), you have to change your address by filing form AR-11, either online or by mail. To change your address by mail, you need to fill out form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card, and mail it to:

Attorneys at I.S. Law Firm help our clients with their immigration petitions every step of the way. To learn more about our services and for consultation, please contact us at +1-703-527-1779 or via e-mail: [email protected].